Putty knives and scrapers have had a variety of handle types and shapes made from wood, metal or plastic. Some prior art handles have utilized a relatively soft material such as rubber, or a low durometer plastic, overlaid on a hard core (for strength) in order to provide greater hand comfort and gripability. It is also known in the art to vary the shape of the handle for the same reasons. These types of handles can generally be referred to as ergonomic handles. While this art has eased some of the ergonomic and comfort problems inherent in using a tool for many hours, it has not addressed the consideration of inserting and removing the handle of the tool into and from one's pocket, as many user's, especially tradesmen, prefer to do between usages of the tool.
The prior art ergonomic handles have a soft exterior which tends to grip the interior of the user's pocket when being inserted or removed. This is especially a problem when working on ladders and so forth, since there is a need to store the tool when it is not in use. Difficulty in inserting or removing the tool into or from one's pocket can be inconvenient and time-consuming, at the least, or possibly dangerous if the tool handle does not readily slip into or out of one's pocket. Alternatively, the user might decline to put the tool in his/her pocket or other storage are and climb up or down a ladder or platform, and so forth, while still gripping the tool. Thus both hands would not be available to hold onto the ladder or platform.
The soft exterior and ergonomic designs of the prior art do not adequately address the insertion and removal of the tool into or from the pocket.
Applicant is unaware of any prior putty knife and/or scraper art embodying the combined design goals of user comfort, ergonomics and the ability to readily slide the handle into and out of the user's pocket for temporary storage between usages. For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a putty knife and scraper as described herein.